March 15, 2014

3:15:14 storm totals

Front Range – Canyon Road

Signs of instability:

  • Numerous, recent, long-running (up to ~1000′), natural loose snow avalanches (sluffs) that likely occurred from midway through the Friday-Saturday storm to late Saturday morning throughout the Rabbit Creek Valley
  • Numerous human triggered small loose snow avalanches (sluffs) in steeper upper elevation (above 3500′) terrain
  • Some subtle cracking in slightly wind affected areas of more cohesive (“slabby”) snow

Weather:

  • Cloudy skies mid morning becoming sunny by late morning
  • Temps in the upper single digits to low teens
  • Calm wind with some light gusts at times along ridges and on peaks

Surface conditions:

  • Widespread ~2.5′ (30″) of flawless, blower powder (snorkels required) – arguably one of the all time best FRange pow days

Discussion:

We found ~30″ of blower pow at the lower Canyon Road gate (thanks to Chugach Ress for breaking trail 3/4 of the way up Peak 3):deep trail

This truck left overnight by campers near Rabbit Lake lends some snowfall perspective:snowfall on truck

Numerous, long-running natural sluffs were observed all over the Rabbit Creek Valley (seen here is a sluff that ran ~700′ SSW aspect off Peak 2 near the Peak 3 uptrack):pk2 long sluffs

Peak 4 gloriously untracked:fresh 4

On his first weekend back in town the Randonnite Phil Hess was hard at work for the Anchorage Avalanche Center (seen here assessing conditions on Peak 4):phil 4a

Highly technical snow science study in the Peak 4 laboratory of the properties of Western Chugach mid-March blower powder:blower on 4

Anchorage Avalanche Center volunteer staff assessed conditions back to Peak 4.5:trailbreakin 45dropping 45sam 45a

Two more long-running (~700′) natural sluffs SW aspect Peak 4.5:4

Eagle River – South Fork

Signs of instability:

  • Recent, seemingly natural, small wind slab avalanche NE aspect Peak 1212 (North Bowl area)

Weather:

  • Sunny with increasing clouds from the SW in the evening
  • Temps in the upper single digits to low teens
  • Calm wind with some light gusts at times along ridges and on peaks

Surface conditions:

  • Widespread 8-14″ creamy powder providing for a much different, but just as fun (denser and much faster), skiing experience than Canyon Road

Discussion:

Gotta love the Western Chugach (SoFo was largely untracked as of 5:30pm Saturday):happy dogsuntracked hiland 2untracked hiland

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